Cremation
by Alulim
Summary: 'Death' is the unknown, humans fear the unknown. 'Death' is darkness, humans fear what lies within the darkness. We are able to live every day because we are able to unconsciously forget about 'Death'. This is a story about true 'Death', and the one that walks its path.
1. Chapter 1

Well here is something that I wrote on a spur of the moment decision. This is basically the continuation of the idea that RadiantBeam and I came up with and worked together on last year. As she dropped that ages ago, I have now taken up the reins on this. Of course, things have changed majorly from what we had discussed back then, both due to time passing and my own tastes taking over, though many things have remained the same.

I am largely basing this on the anime, though there will be plot elements and characters from the manga showing up. Of course, it would be easier if the manga's translation wasn't slower than that of of Atraxia's. Being thirteen volumes behind, and the gap is only growing, is no laughing matter. But we have to make do with what we have, right?

**Cremation**

**Part 1: Pallor Mortis**

**Prologue**

It burns.

I hate it.

It burns.

I hate it. It burns. I hate it, it burns I hate ititburnsIhateitburnsIhateit burnsIhateit!

The fire, continuing to eat away at my body, has no end. Even a small child like me could understand that there was no hope, no escape.

Death was everywhere.

The screams of the dying, crying for help…why won't they go away? My family (what was family?), my neighbors (were they my neighbors?), my friends (goawaygoawaygoaway!), total strangers (who were they to judge me?), all of them shouting at me in their hollow tones. Their eyes, melting in their sockets, are all staring in my direction, blaming me for still surviving in this hell. But I want to live, why can't they understand that? I refuse to die like this, die like them! I want to live!

I just…want to live…

**Pallor Mortis**

_Pallor Mortis._

_Algor Mortis._

_Rigor Mortis._

_Livor Mortis._

_Putrefaction._

_And finally decomposition._

'_Death' is a natural part of life. …The keyword there being 'natural'._

'_Death' is the unknown, humans fear the unknown. 'Death' is darkness, humans fear what lies within the darkness. We are able to live every day because we are able to unconsciously forget about 'Death'. However, we remember soon enough. The unavoidable truth is that we humans fear death, so it is inevitable that many try to find ways to keep it at bay._

_Blood of mythical beasts that extend one's natural lifespan, elixirs that can cure any disease, spells that halt aging, stones that bestow eternal life, and water that grants immortality, all of these are wondrous things that exist in the myths of mankind. Throughout the ages, man has been fascinated with defying 'Death'._

_However, this fascination often turns into obsession._

_Necromancers, Dead Apostles, revenants, Jiang Shi, Corpses, and ghosts, all of these are results of an unhealthy obsession with life and 'Death'. Whether they are creators, the created, or just somehow came to be, these are all inundated with 'Death'. They defy 'Death' by rejecting life, reveling in their own corruption._

_Alas, in the end, it is impossible to fully escape its grasp. Whether you defy it, embrace it, or ignore it, 'Death' will always be there. The cycle of Samsara…Our relationship with it can ne'er be severed, and it is futile to try._

_This is a story about true 'Death', and the one that walks its path._

**Pallor Mortis**

"Hey, are you sure we should be doing this?"

"Don't worry, don't worry. Mister Whisper's an urban legend, just a little something that supposedly brings you good luck."

"A-ah, I see."

"We have an exam coming up, right? I need all the good luck I can get."

"Still, i-isn't basically giving your phone number out to a stranger an invitation for spam?"

"You worry too much, if that was a problem, someone would have mentioned it online. Well then, let's get started."

"R-right!"

**Pallor Mortis**

Man was it late. While I didn't mind working overtime and helping Neko close up shop, it didn't make it any easier to deal with my exhaustion on a school night. It only made sense that a bar like Copenhagen had late hours, but it didn't make it any easier on me. I guess that meant that Sakura would be getting me up tomorrow, as I would be too tired to rise by myself.

The night was a dark one, and a storm was quickly coming in. With the moon covered by the clouds, and the streetlamps being the only source of light, the city gave off an empty feeling. Being the only pedestrian in sight certainly didn't help in that matter.

While the lack of people might be due to the impending storm, it was more likely that the rumored murderer that kept them off the streets. Bodies mauled as if by beasts have been showing up at random for the past few weeks, with no rhyme or reason as for why they were targeted. The news was having a field day while spouting theories about some kind of animal having escaped from a zoo somewhere, or possibly a pack of trained dogs at the beck and call of some maniac. The police refused to comment.

And then there were the disappearances that started up earlier this week.

These incidents were largely centered around teenage girls, with the occasional boy thrown in for good measure, vanishing without a trace, only for some of them to appear later having apparently committed suicide. At first they were believed to be just bullied kids who had taken the easy way out, but after the third of these 'suicides' it was officially declared to be the work of a serial killer.

With all this chaos came a noticeable increase in petty crime. Robberies, muggings, and vandalism, all of these had become more common lately. The police's forces were stretched thin as it was, so this only added to their workload.

Fuyuki city had become a hotbed for corruption.

As one who aspired to become a superhero, it really got to me that I was helpless to do anything to save the victims. What little magecraft I had at my disposal was useless for trying to locate those that had gone missing, and certainly useless for tracking down a murderous beast. I always knew reinforcement would only get me so far, but this really drove it home.

How weak was I really?

Why was I so helpless?

Was all the effort I put in until now for nothing?

I wouldn't let it keep me down though. I had made a promise to my father, to be a hero, and I would keep it. All I could do was hope my efforts would pay off, if not today, then someday.

Really, it wasn't like me to get this down. Shinji once said that my only good point was being stupidly positive…or was it my willingness to help him with his archery club duties? Regardless, I had better get home for some rest. I had reached the street my house was, so it wouldn't do for me to lag around here and risk getting attacked so close to home-

_-Pain._

As my face met the concrete I felt only pain. Something had hit me from my right side, apparently coming out of an alley, and forced me to the ground. In an attempt to break my fall I crossed my arms in front of me, only to cut the palm of my right hand open on a jagged stone.

W-what had hit me? Was…was I really being attacked right outside of my house?

Raising my head toward the direction where I was attacked I saw something unbelievable; a giant dog. Or rather, it was something with the appearance of a dog. In fact, how could I ever mistake it for a dog at all? Whatever this thing was, it certainly wasn't a canine of any sort. The smell alone was enough to discount the possibility of it being any living creature; the sweet scent of rot pervaded the area. The creature was roughly the size of a pickup, with teeth the size of butcher knives. Its black fur blended in with the dark night, while chalk-white bones bulged out of its flesh at random intervals.

It growled at me.

And at that moment I knew that instead of staring at that thing, I should start running. But before I could process that thought fully, I spotted something out of the corner of my eye. A lone girl, dressed in a tattered shrine maiden's outfit of all things, standing not too far away. She wasn't paying any attention to what was going on around her, and was merely staring at the moths that a streetlamp had attracted. It was certainly out of place for moths to be around during January, so in any other situation I probably would have stared too.

If it was just me, I could run away without any second thoughts. But someone else was here and most certainly in danger. I just couldn't let an innocent bystander, disregarding the fact that I was one too, come to harm. Forcing my beleaguered body up, glancing at the beast standing in between me and home, I dashed towards the girl. Grabbing her arm with my good hand, I started pulling her away from the monster. She let out a little noise in either protest or surprise, but didn't resist.

I ran as fast as my legs could carry me while being sure that my unusual companion didn't trip.

Where was safe from that thing? Looking behind me I saw that, instead of chasing us directly, the canine was leisurely stalking forward, as if giving us a head start. If it was that confident…well, it was better not think about that. I just had to focus on getting away.

But on that note, I still had no idea where we could take shelter. We couldn't run forever, especially since that thing probably had far more stamina than I did. Calling for help was out of the question, since I lacked a cellphone to call the authorities and I didn't want to get anyone else involved anyway. Besides, would the police even believe that I was being chased by a big, and possibly dead, dog?

Glancing back at the strangely clad girl, I got an idea. Ryuudouji Temple, we could take shelter there. It was relatively isolated, I knew the area well, and temples protected against this kind of evil stuff, right? And if that didn't work, I could just lose the thing in the large forest surrounding the place. The dog was surely too big to maneuver well in tight spaces like that. It wasn't like I had anywhere better to go, at least that I knew of, so to the temple it was.

"A-all right, I am going to take us somewhere safe. You have to trust me, okay?"

"I see a blade forged in fires of corruption and quenched in the filth of the world...so shiny…"

Not exactly a confirmation, but it certainly wasn't a no. It seemed like the girl was in shock, as was unable to speak properly. Not exactly surprising, but… Hopefully it would wear off soon, because having her wits about her could possibly be the difference between life and death in a situation like this.

Hearing a howl in the distance shook me out of my contemplation. It seemed that the creature had decided that we had enough of a head start. Thankfully we had already reached the street where the temple's public entrance was. Just a little more and we would reach our goal…well, I guess it was _my_ goal. But I hoped that this girl wouldn't mind the detour; if we were lucky, it would save her life.

"We're almost there." As we made it to the bottom of the stairs, I shifted my grip from her arm to her hand. It was cold, probably due to her wearing thin clothing in this weather. Receiving no response from the girl, I started up the long stairway. "I think we can find a safe place up here."

Hopefully, hopefully, hopefully, hope, hope, was this all I could do? Run away and hope for the best? Was this all that Shirou Emiya could do? Willfully dragging an innocent girl along, was I only delaying the inevitable? Forget about my efforts paying off 'someday', the results were needed now! This girl, I would make sure that I saved her. At that moment, there was literally no other option for me.

After passing through the torii gate, I immediately turned to the right and made a beeline for the forest. If the thing could indeed come onto holy ground, I didn't want it to target the temple. As it was winter, the deciduous trees, which made up a good portion of the forest, were devoid of leaves and as such visibility was better than I had expected. While dashing through the sparse undergrowth I heard a frustrated roar and the sound of snapping wood behind us. It seemed that while the creature was unaffected by the protection of a temple, it was struggling to get through the thick wood. That was a good sign, and hopefully we could shake it here.

As we continued to dash through the forest, I started to run out of energy. Despite all the training I had put my body through; this was more flat out running than I had ever done before. Surprisingly the girl had kept up with me without complaint, to the point where I didn't even hear any heavy breathing.

But before I could collapse due to exhaustion, a place to take shelter had appeared. There was an old wooden outbuilding, half rotted into the ground, just up ahead. I had never been to this part of the forest before, so I was just running blind until now. It seemed that luck was on our side for the first time tonight.

Letting go of the girl for the first time in what seemed like ages, but was more likely just a few minutes, I forcefully slid open what remained of the shed's door. Grabbing the girl once again, I dragged her into our improvised safe house. The inside was dark, with bits of wood and other debris scattered everywhere. It appeared that this used to be a storage shed for the main temple some years back, but was forgotten and left to rot. Sitting against the moist wall, pulling my companion down with me, I got a good look at the girl I had abducted for the first time.

Ethereal. That was my impression of her.

The first thing I noticed was her scraggly white hair, kept in a ponytail that ended up in a noose. Her face was shockingly pale, with a jagged scar running down the left side of her face from the bottom of her eye being the only blemish on it. Speaking of her eyes, they were quite striking. Her left was a pale red surrounding a black pupil, while the right inverted this. Her tattered shrine maiden's outfit left little to the imagination. With her impressive bust, something that easily surpassed Sakura's in size, pressing up against the translucent shirt, and the gaps in the hakama that showed large amounts of creamy thigh, it was almost scandalous.

Oh, and she clearly wasn't wearing any panties.

With the top of her head only coming up to my chin, and her youthful face together with her adult-like body, it made it hard to properly discern her age. All of this combined with the absent look she had been giving me throughout this ordeal made me worry about what kind of girl I had picked up. Speaking of which, I didn't even know her name of this person that I had dragged halfway across town…

"Ah, I never introduced myself. I am Shirou Emiya, may I ask your name" And…she ignored me. Standing up, the strange girl turned her attention to a set of shelves that had collapsed against the far wall. Stretching upwards, she reached towards a drawer that remained perched above her head. She pulled it out with a sudden yank, causing its contents, a bunch of moth-eaten scrolls, to spill out all over her. Seeing her predicament I stood up and reached towards her with my right hand. "Are you alright?"

And then, without warning, she snatched my hand out of the air, nearly snapping my wrist in the process.

"Ahn…shiny…" Grasping my hand in hers, the girl stared at the wound on my palm with a disturbingly large grin on her face. Still draped in rolls of ancient parchment, she began to dance around without care that she was yanking me every which way with her erratic movements. Before I could object to this treatment of my limbs, the girl inserted her fingers into my open flesh and began painfully twisting them around. "Red water is flowing out of your hand, why is that?"

I was beginning to think that this strange person was more of a danger to me that the dog that chased us here.

The girl began to laugh as her movements started spattering my blood everywhere. I was saved from this by a strange happening; the old scrolls hanging from the girl began to glow as soon as my blood touched them. The loose ribbons of paper began to move, coiling around the girl like snakes. The strange girl paid no heed to them until they constricted, pinning her arms against her sides.

"_Ehehehe, ahahahaha!"_

Continuing to laugh without concern, the girl struggled against the scroll's grasp. And then, with a hissing noise and the smell of burnt flesh, the words on the scrolls began to burn into the girl's exposed skin. After what seemed like an eternity, with the girl's deranged laughter reverberating throughout the old building, the strange phenomenon seemed to have stopped.

At least until the wound on my hand started to burn.

The pain was sharp and intense, but thankfully short-lived. Almost as soon as it started, the burning sensation vanished. When I looked at my hand I discovered that the wound on it had scarred over, leaving an oddly shaped symbol in its stead. Glancing down at the girl once again, I saw that the paper ribbons had stopped strangling her and the symbols burnt into her flesh had disappeared. Standing up, brushing off the ratty bits of what remained of the scrolls in the process, she gave me a look vastly different that any she had before.

But before I could comprehend what that might mean, the whole building shook violently.

Something large impacted the wall, causing the rotten wood to start collapsing. Needless to say, by 'something large' I meant 'giant dog monster'. It looked like that thing managed to track us down. I had hoped that we could lose it, but I guess it was part bloodhound. This was it. There was no way we were going to be able to get away from that thing. The only thing I could do was distract the beast so the girl could get away. Hopefully I would be enough for it, and it would leave her alone.

"I guess this is it for me." Standing up, I strode towards the door. Motioning to my companion, I prepared to confront the monster. "I'll distract it for you, so on my signal…please run"

Sacrificing myself for a strange girl whose name I didn't even know, I would not hesitate to do so.

But before I could get any farther, the girl dashed forward, smashing through the door with a smack of her hand. Casually strolling outside, she turned her head to face me. "We are bound by fate…am I now yours?"

W-what did she say? Gah, I would disregard that for now. Just where did she think she was going? While I was distracted by what she said, she had disappeared outside. I was supposed to be the distraction; I couldn't well do that if she became that thing's focus! Chasing after her, I was greeted by an unbelievable scene.

The dog monster was lying on the ground, with one of its legs torn off. Standing not too far away was the girl, with the missing leg grasped in her left hand.

"Is this…an enemy?" Upon seeing me come out of the shed, she dropped the limb and turned her focus towards me. This proved to be a fatal mistake. For as soon as the leg hit the ground a bone spike shot out of its stump, cutting off the girl's own legs just below the knee. Falling to the ground, the girl let out a surprised sounding noise. Not letting her get up, the beast shot another bone spike, out of its body this time, impaling the girl through the abdomen and pinning her to the ground.

The girl, showing no reaction to how she was fatally injured, yanked the spike out of her stomach. However, in spite of this, there was very little blood coming out of her wound. In fact, now that I thought about it, the stumps that used to be her legs were barely dripping blood at all. It was as if the blood was merely lying stagnant in her veins, rather than pumping through them like it should.

"…It's an enemy!" Planting the spike in the ground and using it as leverage, the girl flung herself at the monster. Grasping at its neck, she landed on the beast's back. Reaching downwards, she took hold of the bony ridge just above the dog's eyes and started to pull. With the sounds of breaking bone and tearing sinew echoing throughout the otherwise silent forest, the girl pulled the monster's head clean off. "Ehahahaha! It's Shirou's enemy! It's my enemy!"

Using the momentum from the violent decapitation, she flew off the creature's back and smashed the disembodied head against the ground. Yet, even when removed from the body and crushed to a near pulp, the head continued to howl and struggle. This, however, ended when the girl brought down her fist on what remained of the beast's cranium, reducing the rest of it to a mush. With a single low-pitched whine, the remains of the beast slowly turned to ash and crumbled away.

The monster-killing girl, spattered with blood and perched on the stumps of her legs, turned to me and smiled.

I remained frozen throughout this scene, my feet glued to the ground. To be honest, I feared that girl. Something deep within me told me that she was a danger. Yet, despite of this, she had saved me. She had injured herself in order to fell that monster. Although she was indeed a ridiculous existence, I owed her. The least I could do was get her to a hospital, and then hopefully never see her again. As I made my way over to her, I noticed something.

_I was wrong._ The monster had not vanished like I assumed, it had simply transformed back into what it was originally. A headless human body, lacking its right arm, was lying where the beast used to be. I was sure that if I turned to where the beast's head was, I would find a smashed and fragmented human skull. That thing…used to be a human?

After staring at the body in silence for what felt like an eternity, a strange hissing noise brought my attention back to the girl. What I saw was even more surprising than finding a human corpse where the beast was; the girl had retrieved and reattached her right leg, and was in the process of doing the same with the other.

Inhuman. She was something completely inhuman.

Was she some kind of Dead Apostle? My father had spoken about them to me once; they were undead vampires that supposedly had great regenerative powers in addition to monstrous strength. This girl sure fit the bill, yet…she had saved me. For what reason would a demon like that have to save me? There was more going on here than what I could see; that I understood. But, in the end, there was just one thing I could ask; "Who…are you?"

Walking towards me, extending a cold hand to caress my cheek, the girl answered.

"…_Hokuto."_

_[Break]_

And there is the prologue. I hope that I kept everything believable. I ended up taking a few elements directly from Beamu's story, but repurposed them towards my needs. Speaking of Beamspam, this couldn't have been done without her help. You could say that our positions are now reversed from when she wrote her Fate/Hime.

Now on to the ramblings about the story. I decided that the Ryuudoji temple used to have connections to the Light Assertion Sect, but they were cut off when the Holy Grail War came into being. The magi being selfish magi said 'out', and forcefully evicted those monks from the place and destroyed anything they believed that could interfere with their ritual. Of course, as it turns out, they missed something. I'll mention this directly in the story at one point in time, but for now it is just a bit of an extra tidbit.

As for Itsuki...well, I dropped that. There was a problem with the timeline if we were going to use her anyway, something that we never did figure out completely, so it was easier to go with a different choice. Itsuki will appear, but she will basically be in her canon role. Choosing Hokuto to become Shirou's Shikabane Hime was based on the last two episodes of the anime, so there is precedent for that happening. Plus she is creepy, and Al loves creepy.

Also, the two girls speaking in the third part are canon characters on the Fate side. Won't say who yet, but there are plans.


	2. Chapter 2

Well, here is the next chapter. It also introduces Issei as being a very important character in this story. Big things are coming his way. Now, I personally do not believe I did his character justice. I hope I'm wrong about this, but who knows? And for all my worries about Issei, I also worry about whether Shirou is in character as well. As for the content...a lot of talking and not much action in this chapter. This is just setting the stage for bigger things. I hope you like it all the same.

And, before I forget, for those of you who haven't watched/read Shikabane Hime (what are you doing reading this anyway?) the number one thing you need to know about the series is: No one wears panties. _No one._ In fact, panties may not even exist in the setting. This becomes especially obvious in the manga, where you get upskirt shots from more characters than just Makina.

**Cremation**

**Part 1: Pallor Mortis**

**Chapter 1: Temple of Forgotten History**

"…_Hokuto."_

After she had stated her name, the girl, Hokuto, had collapsed bonelessly to the ground. It seemed like her legs had not completely recovered from being cut off. While this would have been a perfect chance for me to get away from this monster – whatever she was, she surely wasn't human – I just couldn't leave her here.

Regardless of _what_ she was, she had saved my life at the cost of heavily injuring herself. Grasping the arms that were reaching up towards me, I heaved her onto my back and began the trek back. All I had to do to get out of the woods was follow the path of destruction that the beast left.

Speaking of which, I would have liked to give the body a proper burial…but I simply didn't have the energy for it. Plus I was afraid that all the noise may have attracted unwanted attention, and I didn't want to be caught with a dead body.

…Either of them.

With her body directly against my back, the fact that Hokuto didn't have a pulse was readily apparent. If she wasn't moving, constantly running her fingers through my hair for some reason, I would have truly believed her to be a normal corpse. In fact, a large part of me still wanted to bury her in the ground like one.

"So…what exactly are you?" That was the big question. This girl that called herself Hokuto wasn't human. Her lack of a pulse, her ridiculous strength, and her ability to heal from fatal wounds…these were all the signs of an undead vampire. But the fact that I was still here, and certainly not drained of blood and life, meant that there was more to this.

"Shikabane." Shikabane…? What did she mean by calling herself a Corpse? She was obviously more than that, it was apparent that she was something special. Yet, completely ignoring my worries, Hokuto continued to fondle my scalp. "I am…Shikabane Hime."

Corpse Princess?

"I don't get it. Could you tell me what you mean?" I didn't know whether to curse my own stupidity or Hokuto's short answers. But I had to admit that my knowledge about the magical side of the world was severely lacking. It wasn't exactly my fault though; I only had what my father taught me to go on, and he didn't really want me to be a magus in the first place.

"I am the Shikabane Hime. I will be by your side, forever yours." Well, that didn't answer my question. But before I could try to prod her for more information, her attention was taken away by something else. "Oh…look, a loyal dog. Is it an enemy?"

Dog…did that monster come back?

Right about when I was going to answer yes, I saw a familiar face make its way from behind a tree. Surprisingly enough, it was Issei Ryuudou, student council president, friend, and monk-in-training. My head had been down, focused on the forest floor in order to avoid tripping on the recently 'renovated' landscape, so I didn't notice his approach. Looking beyond my where friend stood, clad in what I assumed were his pajamas, I saw that we were finally approaching the temple proper. My legs were feeling like they were going to give out soon, so that was a relief.

But the state of what I was seeing certainly didn't fill me with that same feeling.

It appeared that the dog monster had caused quite a bit of damage, most noticeably to the stone pathway by the temple's entrance, so maybe I shouldn't have been too surprised to see Issei about. I may not have been the one to cause that damage, but I did choose to bring that monster here, so I felt quite guilty about that. And, as it turned out, there wasn't even a reason for it. I should have headed for the docks instead…

"Emiya? Is that you? What_ are_ you doing here at this time of night? And who is that girl you have on your back?" Issei's voice snapped me out of my self-depreciating thoughts. He shifted from foot to foot, glancing around as if trying to see if anyone else was going to pop up, visibly nervous. "Do you know what happened here? It looks like someone took a bulldozer to the place."

"You wouldn't believe me even if I told you. I have to admit that I'm not completely sure of what happened myself." The last part ended up being mumbled under my breath due to embarrassment. While I had to keep the supernatural a secret, this was Issei's home. I couldn't exactly tell him nothing and leave it at that. Hopefully some kind of half-truth would appease him. "As for the girl, I just… kind of found her."

"He and I…are bound by destiny." And of course, given my luck tonight, Hokuto chose this time to stop inspecting my head and speak up. "Are you an enemy?"

Hesitating a bit at Hokuto's question, Issei seemed to laugh to himself.

"You sure know how to pick them, Emiya. I'll make some tea. You can tell me the whole story inside." That last one was not a suggestion, but a command. Issei's tone left no room for argument. Motioning for us to follow him, he made his way back to the temple. "You can spend the night here as well. It's getting more and more dangerous around these parts as of late, and I cannot on good conscience let you walk home this time of night." He paused, sending a hesitant but wry grin in my direction. "After all, it looks like that's what got you into trouble here in the first place. I'll leave a message with Fujimura-sensei to let her know."

Well, it looked like we were all having a sleepover tonight.

**Pallor Mortis**

…I was in trouble.

As the three of us sat around a well-worn kotatsu, something that I didn't recall ever seeing before on any of my previous visits, Issei stared down at Hokuto and me forcefully. The atmosphere in the room, a private space reserved for those who ran the temple, had become quite oppressive due to that. Hokuto, having attached herself to my left side, ignored this.

"Thankfully my brother was awake and I was able to get his permission for you to stay here. Really, he is just too laid back…" It seemed that even Issei, the cause of the oppressiveness, was ignoring it as well. But his response did manage to lighten up the atmosphere, so maybe that was his intention. "Oh, and speaking of my brother, his favorite radio hasn't been receiving any signals for the past week. If you could take a look at that before you go, it would be much appreciated."

Was I nothing but a handyman in his head?

"Now back to business. Just what happened out there, Emiya?" Damn, I wasn't off the hook like I had hoped. "And don't try to dodge the issue here. I've known for quite some time that there was something strange about you. I've ignored it up until now out of respect for your privacy, but this happened right outside of the temple…so it's time to come clean. You are my friend and I trust you. I hope you can afford me the same courtesy."

Gah, his eyes…they were hard as granite.

"Umm, we were attacked by a mad dog?" Well, it _was_ the truth…maybe. I honestly had no idea what that thing was, so I couldn't really tell Issei even if I wanted to. But whatever it was, it certainly wasn't natural. As such, I had a duty to keep it secret. But, then again, I did end up putting Issei in danger by leading it here. Now that my mind was no longer consumed by thinking of ways to escape, I had realized that the monster could have easily changed its target from me and gone for the defenseless monks that were currently sleeping. While I was trying to save someone, I had put even more at risk.

My head said I should come up with a believable story, but my heart said I owed my friend more than a half-truth.

"A normal dog couldn't have caused all that damage." Putting his hands under his chin, Issei stared into my eyes. He was bearing down on me with the full power of his 'Student Council President mode', the same gaze that caused girls to swoon and boys to wilt. Truth be told, I couldn't remember a case where that stare was ever trained on me before. Issei was serious. "Tell me more."

"Well, I'm not actually sure-"

"Shikabane." Possibly taking my poor attempt at an excuse as a question, Hokuto spoke up for the first time since we had gathered here. "We were attacked by a Shikabane…an enemy."

There was that word again. Wait, didn't Hokuto call herself a Shikabane as well? Did that mean she and the dog were the same type of creature? Well, it would make sense if that monster was some sort of vampire – if that was indeed what Hokuto actually was – given its strange abilities and the horrible smell of rotting flesh hanging around its body. It would also explain why it turned (back?) into a human corpse upon its death. Still, it was an unfamiliar term, at least in the way it was used, that I hadn't heard before tonight.

…But, given the somewhat shocked expression on his face, apparently Issei had.

"You say you were attacked by a…Corpse?" After examining the girl plastered to my side with a critical eye, Issei shook his head as if trying to clear up an internal dilemma. "Was that…no, forget it. Please continue."

If my friend actually knew something like he seemed to, adding that to his previous suspicions, then I guess I didn't need to hesitate anymore. Besides, maybe he'd know what it was that was in the rundown shed out there; and possibly why those old scrolls acted like they did. I didn't hold out much hope for getting an answer for the last part though, those scrolls were clearly not anything that your average monk would have anything to do with.

"We were attacked by a giant monster dog." That ended up coming out a lot blunter that I had originally intended. But with Issei, being quick and to the point was generally a good thing. "It was big, smelled like rotting corpses, shot bone missiles out of its flesh, and it wanted to kill me."

"I see. Were it anyone but you Emiya, I would disregard this as nothing more than a ridiculous lie." Huh? That was it? I was sure his reaction would be a bit, well, _more_. But I was flattered that he believed in me enough to accept such an insane story. "And now on to the next part, exactly how does the girl come into this?"

Turning my focus towards the white-haired girl playing with my left hand, I wondered how Issei must see her. A strange looking girl clad in an old shrine maiden's outfit…did he think she was cosplaying I wonder? Her attitude was quite odd as well; she had only paid attention to Issei himself for a few moments before apparently getting bored and turning to messing with my body parts for entertainment.

This was a good thing, for him at least.

She may have seemed like a child stuck in an older body at first glance, but I was glad that she hadn't paid much of any attention to my friend. It was better if she ignored him, because I wasn't sure what would happen if she actually took interest in the guy. I didn't know why she seemed to like me as much as she did, so I didn't want to risk her mistakenly taking offense at anything Issei did. It could be the difference between life and death for him.

Hokuto may have saved my life, but she was just as much of a monster as what she had saved me from.

"How Hokuto comes into this…I can only say that I found her. She was nearby when the monster attacked me, so I took her with me in an attempt to keep her from being an easier target." She was just standing there, innocently staring at a moth; I couldn't let her be with good conscience. "Although, as it turned out, I probably didn't need to do that; she ended up being more than capable of taking care of herself."

"What do you mean by that?" Although he said that, I got a feeling that Issei had some kind of hunch. The look in his eyes when he stared at Hokuto was one of great suspicion and caution.

"This girl, Hokuto, isn't human. She destroyed the monster that was attacking us with little effort. All the damage she took from that thing healed up seamlessly and…she doesn't have a pulse." The girl in question completely ignored my denial of her humanity, and continued her childish antics. "She even called herself a Shikabane, just like that monster."

There was an awkward pause before Issei began speaking again.

"I-I see. Emiya, you probably already know this…but it would be wise to step away from the girl. Of course, we don't know how she'd react, and she seems to have become rather attached to you, so it may actually be better not to." The expression on Issei's face was one that I had only seen when he was complaining about how evil and manipulative Tohsaka was. Seeing it targeted at Hokuto was, in a way, unexpected, but far from surprising. "I thought this to be nothing but a stupid story that was passed down in order to keep young monks in line, but it seems that the proof is right here."

"Are you alright?" Stupid question. "You look pale." And he did. His forehead was damp with sweat, and his hands were shaking from where they were clasped on the table. Whatever this 'story' was, it must have been something to fear. And if it was anywhere near the truth, I understood why.

"Truthfully Emiya, I am terrified for my life. The only reason I am still here is because you are…and I am afraid that any sudden movement would attract _her_ attention." It looked like he had the same fears I did in regards to Hokuto. The only reason I took her into the temple in the first place was because leaving her alone outside wasn't an option. At best, she would wander off and stare at something random that caught her interest. At worst, well…

I had no idea what she was truly capable of.

"So, what is this story?" I hated asking this of him in his current condition, but Issei knew something that I needed.

"It's just an old legend warning about how materialistic attachments to this life could lead the virtuous astray…or so I thought." Letting out a sigh, Issei placed a hand to his forehead. "To summarize, it says that if you have a strong attachment to something when you die, you stick around as a Shikabane. It goes on to say that a Shikabane is basically an impure zombie that is granted unholy strength and regenerative capabilities, and, on occasion, some will have supernatural powers related to their 'attachment'. That's not all; apparently those with strong enough delusions can even take on a monstrous form. Like that giant dog you say attacked you."

So that dog was some kind of self-reanimated corpse and not a vampire? I was skeptical about how much to believe, but it seemed like this was going to be my only source of information. Really, I never expected Issei of all people to be the one teaching me about the supernatural. I had always assumed it would be me teaching him after I made some big flop and revealed myself to him as a magus. But, then again, with him being the heir to an ancient temple, maybe I should have.

"Now remember, this is just a legend passed down by this temple. I thought it to be about as true as the one about our namesake, so even with this turn of events I am not sure how much of it is fact…or if 'fact' is even a good word to use here." With another sigh, Issei glanced at Hokuto before returning his stare to me. "Just be careful, alright? I would have suggested for you to drop her off somewhere remote, or maybe even kill her, but we both know that you wouldn't even think of doing such a thing."

Of course, killing her wasn't an option…even if she was already dead.

"And I think I'll end it there for now, we can continue this tomorrow. It's far too late and I'm far too tired to keep up a discussion this serious." With a stretch of his arms, Issei stood. Nodding my assent, I stood as well. "Your futon's set up in the other room, along with a change of clothes. As for the…girl," here Issei hesitated, "I fear it would be best to keep her with you. A second futon can be found in the closet."

With a nod towards me and a muted "Good night", Issei made his way to his room. As I had no real reason to stay up any longer, I decided to follow his example. And, as was becoming the norm, Hokuto wordlessly followed my example.

**Pallor Mortis**

Laying down in the futon, I mentally reviewed the discussion Issei and I had earlier. Today was probably one of the strangest days of my life, falling only behind the time when Fuji-nee declared it to be opposite-day. By saving that undead girl, not that she needed saving in the end, I had gotten myself into a huge mess. The dead rising from their graves…I knew that it was possible, but certainly not like this.

These 'Shikabane', Corpses, why did they appear in Fuyiki now of all times? Or maybe, have they been here all along? I may not have been on the lookout for the undead, but I think that I would have noticed before if they had been occupying the city for some time. And unlike vampires, they apparently resurrected under their own will and power. Surely if that kept happening it would make the news, even if there were people working to keep it under wraps.

And speaking of wraps, Hokuto was currently trying to use her trailing sleeves to bind my head.

Was this girl really the same as that demon dog? Here she was sitting next to me, not ripping by body apart. Did those scrolls have something to do with her current (relatively) docile mood? Right before she was bound by them, she seemed like she was going to rip my arm off. And yet, immediately after, she went and saved my life from the evil canine. I'd have to ask Issei about that tomorrow…or later today, as the case may be.

Just who and what was this girl that was sticking her pinky fingers up my nose?

**Pallor Mortis**

"Ohohoho? What is this? Interesting, very interesting indeed. Ah, my dear Justeaze, your corruption draws them like flies to a carcass! Your irresistible allure calls out to their endless thirst! Come! I'll provide the food whist you provide the drink, let this be a never-ending feast of the dead!

Let them gorge themselves senseless until the devourers become the devoured!"

_[Break]_

And there we go. Lots and lots of talking, hints of the bigger plot coming through at the end, Zouken monologuing...the usual I suppose. And as Issei only knows about Shikabane through stories passed down to him, he does not know about the Shikabane Hime nor the Light Assertion Sect that commands them. Now, he might learn a bit about the latter later, but that would only be after extensive research into old documents lying around the temple.

Knowledge of Shikabane is only known to few, even among magi. Or at least there are people (namely the Light Assertion Sect[in Japan], sections of the Church[outside of Japan], and the upper-tier noble houses of the Magus Association[the magical community]) trying to keep it that way. The reason the Magus Association tries to keep Shikabane from being widely known is due to the fact that magi quite often become them. Due to the fact that many of them desire to continue their research at ant cost, they often stick around after death. They don't want the stigma from having quite a few of their number becoming zombies to be widely spread. They put a lot of effort in keeping that a secret.

And now that I have this out, I can rest a bit. Basically go back to playing Monster Hunter for a while before working on T's.


End file.
